5.0 வெளிப்புறம் | 5.0 ஆறுதல் | 5.0 செயல்திறன் |
5.0 ஃப்யூல் எகானமி | 5.0 பணத்திற்கான மதிப்பு |
I have driven quite a few cars and after driving a 14 year old maruti 800 for quite a few years the swift vxi was a pleasant change. I have clocked 2500+ kms on mine and I think its a brilliant car.
Space
Some people say its not high on space. Well, i say its high enough on space for a family hatchback. If you are really looking for a car with enough boot space for vacations then go for a station wagon, hatchbacks aren't for you. The boot space is marginally less than that of indica.
The cabin seats 5 people comfortably. Leg space, in front as well as rear is really good and is better than quite a few sedans (read: esteem).
Drivability
The EPS is brilliant, and its actually possible to drive this car with a finger hooked around the steering wheel for major turns and with just a finger on the steering wheel for normal driving...seriously! The engine is really torquey and the gearbox acts as a great adjuct to the sporty feel. The steering wheel is really responsive and helps you communicate with the road and the car really well.
Performance.
Extremely peppy. The car zips through traffic. The overall flat gear ratios make sure that you don't have to keep on changing gears in traffic. On open roads, the car will overtake most cars with ease(you will also find almost every other small car trying to over take you, and failing! ). The specs here say that the top spead is 156 kph, I say bullcrap; I have clocked 170 kph and had to only stop acclerating because sanity caught up with me. Even at 170 kph, the car is extremely stable and with the windows up, its not even possible to tell the speed without looking at the speedometer. No wind noise, no vibrations barely perceptible engine noise, even at this speed. No vibrations even while idling. The engine gently purrs when you start acclerating and roars at high/near red lining RPM :).
Interiors.
Suzuki has done a great job here. The interiors are elegant. Nothing too flashy here. The gray and black theme works well. The instrument panel is well arranged and clean. The dash board could use an open compartment too, there sure is space for it. Split rear seats would be a great addition too. The AC is great, with rapid cooling, though they could have placed rear vents too (may be a bit over the top though). The cabin is extremely silent with the tacho as the only indication to whether the car is on or not.
Suspension & Brakes.
The ride is extremely comfortable, and glides over potholes. The tubeless tires make me feel really safe. The brakes are very responsive too. Something i learnt the hard way, being used to the heavy force i had to apply on my old maruti 800.
Fuel Economy.
Fifteen in city with the AC, 17 on Highways with the AC on. 91 Octane petrol used. Anybody who says the mileage on this car is less or poor can eat shit. Swift has the best mileage among all hatchbacks.
Negatives.
I will have to be really petty here. First up, the A pillar blocks your vision at times, but this is the case with most cars nowadays and is not specific to the swift. I think the option for body colored handles and mirror cowls should have been a standard one, and not limited to the ZXi. The doors produce a mild rattle when closed if the glass is half or fully lowered. The front fender is pretty low and has to be taken care of while parking. No air bags, rear wiper in VXi.
Dealer Update:
I have to update my review here, the car as always is beautiful. Though people in Mumbai might want to avoid Ratan Motors as the dealer. I took my car for second servicing, and when I got my car back that evening, the guys at the service center had managed to bruise the front fender, and quite badly. The only saving face was that they offered to fix it for free. I dropped of the car the following week, and after about two days I went to get my car back. They managed to fix the front fender, but they had got 3 new scratches on the left door. This surface scratches took them 5 days to fix (with a delay of one day in the scheduled delivery) and I went to get my car back, and right in front of me, they backed my car into another...getting one more dent in the rear fender, which they have offered to fix in the next servicing. At home I also noticed one more dent on the door which they had supposadely fixed. Now, after all this the dealer is trying to make me feel like he is doing me a big favor by doing it. I see absolutely no remorse on the dealer's part. I have made a complaint with the maruti helpline. More updates when i hear from them.
Faux Negatives Cleared.
Use the 3 mirrors, to reverse and only that. Its more than enough. This is the easiest car to reverse in in my experience.
Drive properly, dont speed and brake too rapidly. Analyze the traffic, dont keeping on giving the gas if you see a stop light from a distance. Drive at a constant speed and in higher gears. Get your car serviced regularly and keep the tyres at optimal pressure (33 for regular wheels not alloys)
Celebrate, you are gifted with dog/bat like hearing.
Will post more later.